


Blue

by afteriwake



Series: bathe my soul in colours [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Victorian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 02:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4589790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Until Andrea finds her soul mate she will never see the colour blue. But a chance encounter at the Diogenes Club while taking care of a task for Lord Ashcroft provides her with the chance she had never expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NSquared](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NSquared/gifts).



> I will admit, while I have read quite a few Victoria and Regency era romance novels, I've never actually written anything from that era until I was asked to by **kelseyrare** , who wanted a short and fluffy Victorian era Mythea soul mate story. I also incorporated a prompt from **imagineyourotp** ( _Imagine your OTP reciting Shakespeare to each other_ ), though it's only Mycroft doing the reciting. The first Shakespearean quote comes from The Tempest (3.1) and the second from Romeo and Juliet (2.2). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.
> 
>  **EDIT:** Many thanks to **OtakuElf** for pointing out that the Diogenes Club itself is silent but there is a room where members can speak. The mistake has now been corrected.

Andrea longed to see the colour blue.

Every person wasn’t able to see one colour from birth, until they met their soul mate. For her, sadly, it was the colour blue. That meant the sky was always a dreary grey, the ocean was dull and lifeless, and the pretty tea cups her Aunt Muriel had gotten from the Orient were colourless to her. She wanted to experience blue more than anything in the world, but as she got older, she realized it was a distinct possibility she would never be so lucky.

She pushed the thought away as she put on the trousers and trappings of men’s fashions for her mission. Lord Ashcroft needed the information from the Diogenes Club, the prestigious men’s club in the posh end of town. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was a week away and they were trying to make sure that his plans all went well. But as his steward was out of town and there was no one else in the household who could pass as a gentleman, and he himself was too frail to leave his bed, she was all that was left.

She gave herself one last look in the full length mirror. She was passable, so long as no man tried to get an extremely close look. She wanted to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, blend into the background and listen to the general chatter of the gentlemen in the club to make sure no one was making plans counter to Lord Ashcroft’s for Queen Victoria to stop at Mansion House, in order to be welcomed in to the City of London by the Lord Mayor. While her subjects did love her there were some who were not quite as fond of her.

She put on a fake moustache to finish the ensemble and then left the Ashcroft residence to take a hansom cab to the club. If this didn’t work it would spell disaster for so many. This was a favour for Mr. Ashcroft, a debt to repay on behalf of her father, but if she was caught it would be her reputation on the line and any chance she had of moving about in polite society would be gone, and she needed that. She needed to find a way to make a living, because as a woman aged eight and twenty her options were slim. She could be a governess or a paid companion, or, if she could get some small dowry for herself, she could make herself interesting to _some_ male, though that didn’t appeal as much.

Truth be told, polite society didn’t appeal to her much. She doubted she would find her soul mate there, find the man (or even woman) who would allow her to finally see blue, but she needed stability. She needed to find a way to have a life that kept a roof over her head and food in her stomach and let her not have to rely on the handouts of those who were her betters. But she longed for a life where she could be happy, truly happy, and she doubted she would find it through the normal means. So, for now, she did favours such as this.

It didn’t take long for her to get to the club. She gave Lord Ashcroft’s card at the door and was immediately admitted, and she made her way inside to the Strangers Room, the only portion of the club where people could speak, until she found an area to settle in where she could hear many of the secrets of the men there. She picked up a periodical, _Lloyd's Illustrated London Newspaper_ , and opened it, pretending to read but merely scanning over the words and illustrations, listening intently. After a few minutes a man came by offering port and she shook her head. She couldn’t afford to be befuddled.

There was a small burst of laughter from her left, and she turned to face them men there. There were three, two who looked jovial and one who looked quite serious. The jovial men were joking with each other, making crass jokes about their wives, but the third…he remained silent, watching her. She studied him for a moment, and then turned back to the paper. After a moment he came closer. “Hear my soul speak: The very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service,” he said, his voice soft. “If you aren’t careful, someone will realize you don’t belong.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “What do you mean?” she asked, disguising her voice to sound more masculine.

“A…woman, such as yourself, though in a very good disguise, is still a woman,” he said. He inclined his head. “Mycroft Holmes, at your service.”

“An...” She trailed off. Even though he said he would help, she wasn’t sure she could trust him. “Anthea,” she said finally.

He nodded. “You are currently staying in Lord Ashcroft’s manor, are you not?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m helping him with some things since he’s taken ill.”

Mycroft studied her. “I see.” He looked back at his companions. “Tell him that I will keep him informed of anything I hear regarding the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.” He then paused, and produced a card. “And if I may, I would like to call upon you in the morning. Preferably while you are not in trousers.”

She gave him a small smile, taking the card. “I will inform him of that, Mr. Holmes. And I look forward to you calling upon me.”

Mycroft inclined his head. “This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.” With that, he turned and left.

Andrea glanced at the card and then set down the paper and made her way out of the room, pausing in shock when she got to the main room. What had been a grey wallpaper when she arrived was now a vibrant color she had never seen before. She stepped forward, touching the wall gently. Blue. The wallpaper was blue. She glanced back at the room she had left and smiled to herself. Well now. _This_ was certainly an interesting development. She certainly couldn’t wait for the next morning now.


End file.
